Fabiano’s Fantasy Focus: Week 15, Volume I

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Every week during the season NFL Network and NFL.com Senior Fantasy Analyst Michael Fabiano joins Sports360AZ.com’s Brad Cesmat to share his insight on building and developing your fantasy team for success.

Here are some hi-lights from our most recent conversation (December 9th) with the Fantasy Sports Writer’s Association Hall of Famer.

Can you figure out what’s going on with David Johnson here in Arizona? “Is he hurt? I don’t know. That’s the only explanation is that he’s not 100 percent. He played 35 percent of the snaps [against the Steelers]. I can’t play him. The touches are still not there. I can’t play him. If I’m playing anybody, it’s Kenyan Drake. At this point of the season you have to be playing players who are getting pretty high snap rates. Their target or touch share should be pretty significant.”

I take it you’re still not quite sure on Drew Lock despite what he did last week against Houston? “That’s one of the examples, and there’s a million of them, of how the heck are we supposed to believe what goes on in the National Football League when Houston beats the Patriots and then in the following week, in a trap game, loses to a quarterback who has started one game in the National Football League. Great for him and hopefully he’s tremendous and the Denver Broncos’ organization has their QB but boy, I tell you what, earlier in the season all I heard coming out of Denver was that Drew Lock is not ready. He’s looks pretty good to me right now, Brad.”

What are you hearing on Jameis Winston in Tampa? “The good news is, if it’s not a significant injury, he’s got Detroit coming up next week so that’s a really good matchup. The bad news is he’ll be doing it without his number one wide receiver…Jameis Winston has been like the rollercoaster ride of all rollercoaster rides in fantasy football. The ups and the downs, the peaks and valleys…if he’s playing against the Lions, I can’t see him not being a Top 10 play at quarterback in Week 15 because that matchup is really good.”

If I’m looking to add a tight end, who are some possible options if it’s not too late? “Tyler Higbee has been gang-busters the last couple of weeks. If Gerald Everett can’t play he’s got to be one of your priorities. Even David Njoku has the Cardinals…and then Ian Thomas. If Greg Olsen can’t play again due to that concussion, he’s got Seattle and he was featured option for Kyle Allen in that game [last week]. Ian Thomas is definitively someone you can pick up.”

Is it crazy to think about sitting Patrick Mahomes this week? “At this time last year the thought of sitting Patrick Mahomes was sacrilege. He was unbelievable. Kind of like Lamar Jackson this year. Patrick Mahomes has not been a good fantasy quarterback the last three games. He had one game with 19 points. This past week he had around 13. Then he had another game around 15. That’s not good. That’s not what we drafted Patrick Mahomes for. I’m telling you right now if I had Ryan Tannehill and Patrick Mahomes, I would not blame anyone who decided to sit Patrick Mahomes this week. I get it. It sounds bananas, but Tannehill has been better in the past four or five weeks. Look at the numbers, he’s been tremendous.”